Social Media

Social Hour: Which Social Media Platform Performs the Best?

by Jessica Smith Posted On August 3rd, 2017 | 3:25pm EST

Quick answer: it’s Facebook.

The social network captures 35.4 percent of total display advertising spending in the U.S. According to a March 2016 study, Facebook offers a 95.8 percent ROI – Twitter is a distant first runner-up at 63.5 percent, while Instagram yields 40.1 percent and LinkedIn offers 37.7 percent.

In order to utilize this dominating force, here’s the breakdown on how Facebook ads work:

Types of Facebook ads

1) Photo
2) Video
3) Slideshow
4) Carousel (includes up to 10 images and links)
5) Canvas (full-screen mobile ad combining videos and photos)

Targeting an audience

You can first target your ad based on location, age, gender and language. The detailed options include several demographics, interests and behaviors to find the right consumers based on their personal life and internet activity. You can create a custom audience even further by uploading a list of contacts to find similar users, or limiting your focus based on the type of device and connection via data or WiFi.

Buying your ads

Costs vary for Facebook ads – the general cost per click ranges from 16 cents to more than $1 – but you can customize your budget to suit your needs. Set up a Facebook business page then visit Facebook Ads manager to choose a campaign objective, target audience, placement and schedule with your customized cost before creating your ad. Facebook guides you through the process to ensure the best outcome.

Facebook might be the dominating force in digital advertising, but that doesn’t mean you should limit yourself to one channel. The most successful brands are spread across all social media platforms to gain the most exposure. Think about Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Pinterest or SlideShare. Invest in one or two other options. If you have a big budget, go for them all. Digital advertising is constantly growing; your brand should, too.

Let City/Studio help you conquer the channels. To see how we can help build your brand, click here.